Thursday, May 14, 2009

The Pope is Not A Celebrity Endorsement Deal

In response to this, I would have to say that this is one of the more shameless acts in Israeli politics. While the hype regarding the Pope's "controversial" visit to Israel has been generally focused on whether the Pope has anti-Jewish sentiments, Netanyahu has tried to use the Pope's visit as an endorsement for Israel while Christian Arabs are treated as second class citizens. Netanyahu feels he can use the leverage of Pope Benedict XVI's Nazi German youth past to get a condemnation of Iran for it's "destructive" intentions and statements. Netanyahu's attempt to incite a new crusade against Iran has no rules or boundaries.

The Pope's visit to Israel could do a lot to bring international attention to the Palestinian plight but unfortunately is doing little for anyone in the region.